If you’re a forefoot runner wrestling with shin splints, you may be making initial ground-contact way too high up on your toes coupled with not letting your heel drop down to the ground. The trouble with this landing configuration during running is that for one, it keeps pressure impulse peaks heavily concentrated and localized to the forefoot. Why? Because by not letting the heel drop down after touchdown, the center of pressure cannot evenly dissipate over a larger area of the foot. For another, research has linked this kind of forefoot pressure build-up to increases in workloads on the tibia (shin) as the shins now have to work harder in stabilizing ankle moments and absorbing greater impact loads caused by the abrupt increases in forefoot pressure. Read more here about what a proper, shin pain-free forefoot strike should look like in running.
Bretta Riches
BSc Neurobiology; MSc Biomechanics candidate, ultra minimalist runner & founder of RunForefoot. I was a heel striker, always injured. I was inspired by the great Tirunesh Dibaba to try forefoot running. Now, I'm injury free. This is why I launched Run Forefoot, to advocate the health & performance benefits of forefoot running and to raise awareness on the dangers of heel striking, because the world needs to know.
Latest posts by Bretta Riches (see all)
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